September 17, 2020
Yet Cazenovia kept it from getting too far away and, trailing 6-2 at the break, cranked up its defense, able to blank the Comets as goalie Ian Fostveit worked his total to 11 saves.Netting five unanswered goals in the third quarter, the Lakers grabbed a 7-6 lead, and added an insurance tally in the final period as Ty Freyer and Cole Basic both found the net three times.Brian Pezzi earned the other two goals, with Brody Coleman piling up four assists and Tom Fabbioli adding an assist. Before this, Cazenovia had an opportunity for a quality road win at Homer last Tuesday night, and played strong defense most of the way, but just didn’t produce enough on the other end in a 9-6 defeat to the Trojans.Each half followed the same pattern, with Cazenovia trading goals with Homer early, only to go silent. In fact, the Lakers were shut out in the second quarter after a 3-3 tie, and blanked again in the final period, unable to overcome a 7-6 deficit.Basic and Cody Dickinson each got two goals, with single tallies going to Freyer and Gannon Houghton. Coleman added an assist. Everything else got turned away, Homer goalie Colin Perks stopping 12 of the 18 shots he faced.On the Trojans’ side, Jake Calabro, with two goals and three assists, led the way, Dante Patriarco adding three goals and one assist as Dylan Yacavone got two goals and two assists.It would not get easier for the Lakers since state Class C no. 3-ranked Christian Brothers Academy showed up on Thursday night. And the Brothers maintained its hot play, defeating Cazenovia 15-3.All that the Lakers could manage was a single goal in the first half, contained as CBA built a 9-1 advantage. Eventually, Colin Kelly would get four goals, with Wyatt Auyer adding three goals and one assist as Ryan Mackenzie got two goals and three assists.On Cazenovia’s side, Basic, Freyer and Dickinson had goals, with assists going to Coleman and Pezzi. Fostveit made 13 saves as CBA counterpart Z.J. Shanin earned eight saves.Chittenango has undergone plenty of its own struggles, and did not get out of them last Tuesday as state Class D no. 5-ranked Marcellus defeated the Bears 21-7.A 10-goal first quarter put the Mustangs in control, and it would eventually have 10 different players score at least once, with Emmett Barry (four goals, one assist) and Liam Tierney (three goals) at the forefront.When Chittenango was able to convert, Shane Kolb did so three times for a hat trick, with Caleb Barnard and Billy Demand getting two goals apiece. Zeph Scott added an assist.Chittenango (2-12) and Cazenovia (3-12) finish the season squaring off against each other on Tuesday night.Share this:FacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditComment on this Story A spring that has seen the Cazenovia boys lacrosse team face more struggles than it has for much of this decade is nearing its conclusion.Yet even amid these low points, the Lakers have found bright moments, as it did last Saturday at Cazenovia College’s Christakos Field where, on Senior Day, it made a stirring second-half comeback to beat the Carthage Comets 8-6.Even with Carthage making the long road trip and an early-morning start time, it was the Comets controlling the first half, moving out in front behind Josh Demko’s three-goal hat trick.
Tags: boys lacrosseCazenoviaChittenango
Around the age of 10, Miranda Ramirez asked her coach to switch to a one-handed backhand because it looked “so much prettier.” Her coach at the time had prior experience converting other players’ backhands, and Ramirez said he knew the technique really well. Before she even attempted her new stroke, they worked to strengthen her rotator cuff, shoulder and other parts of her arm, preventing potential injuries. From there, they took baby steps working on her technique and not caring where the ball went or how hard she hit it, Ramirez said.“At some point, I just felt fully confident in it, and I didn’t perceive it as a weakness myself, no matter what my opponents thought,” Ramirez said. “So from there, I could just play normally.”Now a junior at Syracuse, the one-handed backhand is her “money shot,” Ramirez’s former coach, Thomas Finck said. Ramirez allowed opponents to attack her one-handed backhand when she was younger, letting them think it was a weakness of hers. After improving it with repetition, it’s become one of her favorite shots. Ramirez is the only No. 10 Syracuse (4-4, 0-2 Atlantic Coast) player to use the technique and it’s helped her rise to a No. 67 ranking this season playing at third singles. Ramirez’s opponents still tend to attack her backhand, she said. Rarely do they stick with that plan, though, because of her variety with the shot. Ramirez said she can control it just as well as any player with a two-handed backhand. AdvertisementThis is placeholder textShe can change the pace of the rally by using slices and keeping the ball lower with her unique form, while matching her opponent’s power if needed. Against Virginia’s Chloe Gullickson, she proved it. In the third singles match, Gullickson used strong ground strokes to overpower Ramirez on the backhand side. To combat that, Ramirez played “smart tennis,” knowing she couldn’t always match Gullickson’s velocity. Ramirez let Gullickson make unforced errors and used slices off her backhand to vary the pace of the match. But at 5-1, serving for the set, Ramirez took a power shot, placing it in the corner where Gullickson couldn’t reach.“All of it can come together, and I can pull from that toolbox whenever I need, and in any match situation,” Ramirez said. “So that’s also a really good confidence boost for me, just knowing that I can trust in the four or five different variations of my backhand that I can use.”Ramirez rallies primarily with her forehand in doubles with Gabriela Knutson, so she doesn’t get many backhand opportunities. Knutson said Ramirez’s forehand is an incredible shot, and Knutson’s backhand is her best shot, so they play to their strengths. Sometimes, they’ll run an I formation or switch sides, and Ramirez’s variety gives opponents a new look with a different spin on the ball. “I can’t hit it at all,” Knutson said of Ramirez’s one-handed backhand. “A one-handed backhand is a thing that unless you’ve started doing it since you were five, you can’t. As soon as you start doing one thing, you can’t do it differently.”While Ramirez’s original intentions to change her backhand were to improve its aesthetic, it’s helped her become a versatile hitter.“It’s my shot, it’s how I play,” Ramirez said. “I love it.” Comments Published on February 12, 2019 at 11:34 pm Contact Arabdho: armajumd@syr.edu | @aromajumder 
Facebook Twitter Google+
Recent Comments